Boat



June 23, 1953 HERMANN 2,642,590

BOAT

Filed llarch 7, 1950 /N WEN 7'02 FQA Nz HERMAN Patented June 23, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOAT Application March 7, 1950, Serial No. 148,037 In Germany October 1, 1948 1 Claim.

This invention relates to boats.

Folding boats provided with loosely mounted air tubes have the drawback that such tubes change their shape as the result of water pressure asserted toward the upper structure of the boat, whereby the tubes are extended in the direction of lesser resistance. This has the serious defect that the boat does not present a stable outline, and its safety is dangerously impaired. a

An object of the present invention is the provision of a boat provided with air-carrying tubes wherein this drawback is eliminated and the boat retains its stability throughout its use.

Another drawback of existing folding boats resides in that the air tubes do not maintain their round form when such tubes are loosely mounted in the boat, assuming an oval or flat, pancakelike form in cross-section. I

It isltherefore, a further object of the present invention. to provide a boat the edges of which will retain their original, substantially round form under all conditions.

To prevent the tubes from being pressed into the interior of the boat it was considered necessary heretofore to provide the boats with an inner wall which considerably reduced the space avalaible .withinthe boat for storage and'other purposes.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a construction wherein the air tubes will be permanently and securely mounted, and wherein the necessity of using an inner, continuous wall is effectively avoided.

It was found that the arrangement of air tubes in existing boats considerably impedes the movements and maneuverability of the boat. Furthermore, such boats lose their stability as soon as one of the air tubes is damaged.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a collapsible boat the air tubes of which are so arranged that the boat is easily maneuverable and remains stable despite damage to the tubes.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

The objects of the present invention may be attained through the use of a boat having air tubes which are firmly and immovably held by the boat covering above and substantially close to the water line of the boat. The term water line is used herein to indicate an imaginary line separating the keel or the lower part of the boat which is immersed in water when the boat is fully loaded from the upper structure of the boat located out of the water at the time when the boat is fully loaded. The lower edges of the air tubes are preferably located at the water line, or either closely above or-below the waterline, and form the keel outline of the boat jointly with the part thereof which is immersed in water. The air tubes are mounted upon the outer surfaces of side walls which are connected with the frame of the boat mounted upon the bottom thereof. The frame elements are joined to these vertical side walls and are curved inwardly so that there is a space between the frame and the covering which extendsover the frame and which is stretched taut by the air tubes. Due to this arrangement the covering cannot be damaged by continuous rubbing against the frame elements.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment of'the inventive idea.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of the boat constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the boat along'the line 2-2 of Figure 1 on an enlarged scale. The boat shown in the. drawing comprises a boat frame 3 Which includes the usual bottom 4 and frame elements or ribs 5, which include lower members 6 immersed in water, and upper members I located above the water line or water level 8. As already stated, the Water level 8 is determined by the position of the boat in water when it is fully loaded.

Boat skin or covering 9 is stretched over the frame of the boat and extends over air tubes it which extend along the vertical side walls II forming a part of the frame work of the boat.

The air tubes vIll enclose the boat completely and are so mounted upon the walls I I that they connot change their form or be shifted. Preferably there are two tubes extending on opposite sides of the boat, although, obviously, the number of the tubes may be varied at will. The covering 9 encloses the tubes ill in their entirety and protect them. When the tubes [0 are filled with compressed air and when the boat is fully loaded, their lower edges will extend close to the water surface 8.

As already stated, the air tubes Hi lie against the outer surfaces of the vertical side walls H and may be held thereon by the cover 9, or by any other suitable means.

Frame elements 6 and 1 extending downwardly and upwardly in relation to the side walls I! are curved inwardly as indicated at I2 and I3, respectively, so that the covering 9, when stretched taut, extends at a distance from the frame elements. Due to this arrangement the covering 9 cannot be damaged by continuous rubbing against the frame elements.

The arrangement of the lower edges of the tubes I upon the water surface 8 or closely above or below that surface at full load of the boat has the advantage that the rolling of the boat and the danger of capsizing in rough water are diminished to a minimum. Since the part of the boat located under water, which does not include the air tubes [0, is the part responsible for resistance against capsizing, any leaks in one or both tubes In, or the sudden blowing up of one or both tubes, will not endanger the stability of the boat. This is a considerable advantage over prior art constructions wherein, in the event of the escape of air, the boat tipped and/or was indanger of capsizing.

:It is apparent that the air-filled tubes I0 located essentially above water combine with the part of the boat located below the water line to form a keel outline.

Thus, the boat constructed in accordance with the present invention can attain considerable speed While remaining stable to a remarkable ex-te'nt.

.Thelarrangement of the air tubes In above water has a further advantage that they are not cooled by contact with the water. The sections of the covering 9 which extend over the air tubes I0, and above them, remain taut and well stretched since they are not laden with water. Air within the .air tubes [.0 may further expand under theinfiuence of sunshine and warm air with the result that the casing 9 will be stretched stillfurther.

Another important advantage of the present construction is that the covering 09 may be easily mounted over the boatframe while they both are completely wet. Heretofore the shrinkage of the coveringim'aterial made it necessary .to exertconsiderable force during assembly. Even when the covering material was quite dry the contraction thereof had to be overcome by stretching it over the frame. In the present construction, however, the extent of contraction can be compensated at the time of the manufacture by suitably dimensioning the covering 9 since the stretching of the covering 9 takes place at the time the tubes 10 are filled with compressed air. The amount of compressed air supplied to the tubes iO-can be regulated to furnish the desired amount of stretching to the covering 9.

In prior art the services of at least two persons were required to take the boat apart, since one' of the users had to hold the bow of the boat while thelother gradually removed the frame work by continuous shaking. In accordance with the present invention, however, the removal of the air from the tubes It] will collapse the stretched covering 9 so that the frame work can be easily removed from the covering by a single person.

It isapparent that the example shown above is subject to wide variations and modifications without departing from the scope or intent of the present invention. .All such variations and modifications are to be included Within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

A boat, comprising a boat frame havingribs and substantially vertical side walls carried by said ribs and located entirely above the water line of the boat, collapsible and inflatable air tubes extending outside of and along said side walls in'contacttherewith, and laicovering tightly enclosing sa-id boat frame and said air tubes. and being tightly stretched both above andbelowsaid air tubes when the air tubes are filled witl air.

References 'Cited in theffile of thispatent UNITED STATESPA'I'ENTS Name Date Butow Dec. '31, 1912 Talbot Apr. 22,1919 Ford Mar. 9, 1920 Murfay Nov. 9, 1926 Schutt-e Jan. '11, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Great Britain his;

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